Almost 30 NFTS Alumni Nominated For British Short Film Awards 2026

The nominations for the 5th annual British Short Film Awards have been announced, and 29 National Film and Television School alumni have been named for their work on both student-made and alumni-led productions!

Three NFTS films are named in the Best Student Short category. Graduation fiction Cuerpos, directed and co-written by Reiff Gaskell, co-written by Maya Gilmore and produced by Amanda Orzechowska; first-year film Violent Delight, written and directed by Leila Murton Poole and Sean Connery Talent Lab short Gowk, written and directed by Ryan Pollock and produced by Kitty McMurdo-Schad and Katriona Tweedie.

Still from Cuerpos
 

Cuepos production designer Kezia Hessam was nominated for Best Production Design alongside fellow graduate William Mansell for his work on NFTS grad film Oneiros, which also received a Best Cinematography nomination for DOP Cal Ola. Violent Delight received a second nomination for Best Score by Katrina Rose.

NFTS alumni continue to appear in 13 categories, including Best Animated, Best Documentary, and Best Screenplay.
 

Check out the full list of talent!

Best Animated Short

Ovary-Acting - Director Ida Melum, Writer Laura Jayne Tunbridge

Best Documentary Short

How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg? - Producer Diva Rodriguez

Best English Short

Bury Your Gays - Writer/Director Charlotte Serena Cooper

Ovary-Acting - Director Ida Melum, Writer Laura Jayne Tunbridge, Producer Michelle Brøndum

Best Live Action Short

Blackout - Producer Solomon Golding

The Man That I Wave At - Producer Jade Way

The Pigeon - Producer Stephanie Faucher

Best Scottish Short

Piece of Heart - Producer Sean Greenhorn

Room Temperature - Writer/director Roni Niu

Best Student Short

Cuerpos (NFTS) - Director/co-writer Reiff Gaskell, co-writer Maya Gilmore, producer Amanda Orzechowska

Gowk (NFTS Sean Connery Talent Lab) - Writer/director Ryan Pollock, producers Kitty McMurdo-Schad, Katriona Tweedie

Violent Delight (NFTS) - Writer/director Leila Murton Poole

Best Welsh Short

Brain Space - Writer/director Laura Tofarides

The Craft Nominations

Best Cinematography

Oneiros (NFTS) - Cal Ola

Best Directing

Ovary-Acting - Ida Melum

Best Editing

A Sisyphean Task - Paco Sweetman

Ovary-Acting - Lesley Posso

Best Production Design

Cuerpos (NFTS) - Kezia Hessam

Oneiros (NFTS) - William Mansell

Best Score

Satisfaction - Andreas Gutuen Aaser

Violent Delight (NFTS) - Katrina Rose

Best Screenplay

Life Goes On - Daniel Audritt

Ovary-Acting - Laura Jayne Tunbridge

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The winners for the British Short Film Awards will be announced at the BFI Southbank on 8 November. The National Film and Television School wishes all our alumni the best of luck at the ceremony!

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Train to make outstanding work like this on a National Film & Television School course in 2027!

Find out more and start your application today at nfts.co.uk/places-available.